freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. and siemens. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses, to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> somewhere in america, there's a doctor who can peer into the future. there's a nurse who can access in an instant every patient's past. and because the whole hospital is working together, there's a family who can breathe easy right now.

somewhere in america we've already answered some of the nation's toughest health-care questions. and the over 60,000 people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. >> president obama tells the bbc the iranian president's comments concerning the u.s. involvement in september 11 are and what absolutely unacceptable." japan releases a fishing boat captain as a result of on major routes with china. and it india is assessing whether it is fit you hold the commonwealth games. welcome to "bbc world news and america. coming up later for you -- where are their sons? mothers are demanding answers.

end to the auction ram. an investment bank goes under the hammer. in an exclusive interview with bbc television, president obama has described comments made by president ahmadinejad as inexcusable. earlier, speaking at the united nations, the iranian leader speculated the american government may have been involved in september 11, 2001. mr. obama also emphasized that he thinks that president and manager of's views are out of sync with the iranian people. >> it was offensive. it was hateful.

and particularly for him to make this statement here in manhattan, just a little north of ground zero, where families lost their loved ones, people of all faiths, all ethnicities, who see this as the seminal tragedy of this generation, for him to make a statement like that was inexcusable. it stands in contrast with the response of the iranian people when it 9/11 happen. there were candlelight vigils, and i think a natural sense of shared humanity and sympathy, and it just shows, once again, the difference between how the iranian leadership and its regime operates, and, i think, how the vast majority of iranian

people, who are respectable and thoughtful, think about these issues. >> the first video was march of 2009. you spoke and he talked about how you were committed to diplomacy. and you also said this process of talking about all issues being on the table with only be seized if there were threats, and with threats it would not go forward. but your administration has been threatening sanctions and finally enacted sanctions. what do you say to those who see a departure from those comments on the threats and diplomacy? >> you have to look at what we have done this year. it is very consistent. what i have said consistently is we are willing to reach out with

an open hand to the iranian government and the iranian people. because we believe there is nothing inevitable that should cause of iran and the united states to be enemies. there is a history there that is difficult. it can be bridged with mutual understanding and respect, and we want to see the people of iran ultimately succeed. the government has taken in iran on a path that has led to international condemnation. i think it is very important to understand that the sanctions that arose at this year had to do with the fact that alone among signatories to the non- proliferation treaty, iran has not been able to convince the international community its nuclear program is peaceful. that is not just my judgment. that is the judgment of the

international community. including countries like russia and china who are generally very hesitant to impose sanctions, but we have consistently seen behavior on the part of the iranian government that indicates it has a nuclear program that does not abide by international rules, and that potentially poses a threat to the region and the world. that is a choicehe t iranian regime is making. they could make another choice. we would welcome them making another choice. which would be to act responsibly. they would then have their rights for a peaceful nuclear program under the nuclear non- proliferation treaty, and that would remove the sanctions and would allow them to fully enter the international community in a way that would tremendously benefit the iranian people. we have not seen him make that choice yet. so this is not a matter of us choosing not to impose punishment on the iranians.

this is a matter of the iranian thernment's ultimately train the interest of the people. >> at 2130 gmt here on "bbc world news. there is full coverage of the story on our website. just go to bbc.com/mayors. high on president obama's agenda, in three months, southern sudan will enter into independence as a consequence of a peace deal that ended along north and south civil war. we have this from the capital. >> it was once africa's longest civil war. it killed almost 2 million over two decades. now, there is a referendum on

possible concessions should it lose. with the referendum running behind schedule, the rebels know where they are pointing the finger of blame. >> no, it would complicate the situation, which is already complicated, in sudan. no one knows exactly what is going to happen. there are a lot of emotions. most of what we are fearing, that parties, when they go back to work, there are many signals coming from the international congress. >> he says the southerners will vote for secession if they get a free and fair vote. america is offering a package of incentives to encourage khartoum

there are promising early signs. >> it is what is already known. that is why we think that there is the high tide for president obama. we can lift the sudan. [unintelligible] when the united states of america thinks these countries are responsible countries. >> leading human rights organizations are questioning the contemplation of the north to lethbridge -- to let the south go. here and in sudan, one thing seems clear. nothing will work unless the

sudanese sort out their prominence. bbc news, khartoum. >> in other news, britain has raised its threat level to substantial, the third highest on the scale to alert the possibility of the possibility of a terrorist attack. they said there was a strong possibility that groups would attack the british mainland. in burma, a pro-democracy leader has been included on of the list for the first general election in 18 years. she is currently under house arrest and was initially excluded from the an electoral roll. and man suspected of masterminding a plot to hijack a plane and crashed it in at singapore airport is back in custody after being returned to malaysia. the alleged head of the singapore -- network was

arrested. he escaped singapore by stealing through a toilet window. pakistan says it will put pressure on the united states to hand over the scientists sentenced for 86 years in prison for attempted murder. he called her a daughter of the nation. 100 people took to the streets in islamabad, lahore, and karachi on friday. >> japan has released the captain of a chinese fishing boat. tension and in disputed waters earlier this month caused a major rift. roland bird has more details. -- burke has more details. >> the japanese officials have

been questioning the fishing boat captain for two weeks. they decided to let him go as a matter of national interest. >> after taking into consideration the effect on our country and people and how it would aspects chinese relations, we decided it was not good to hold the suspect. >> earlier, the fisherman was brought into japan in handcuffs, his face hidden from view. >> this tension caused the deepest of rifts between asia's two biggest economies in the years. japanese coastguard ships have been left dented. the suspicion was he granted them deliberately. this happened in disputed waters near the senkaku islands, part

of japan, but now part of china. china demands of the capt. be freed at once. >> the country had a lot to lose. the prosecutors' decision to link the release of the captain to political pressure hasn't drawn widespread attention here. the fear is china will show weakness. rowland burke, bbc news. >> there is much more on the website. you will find more there, including a breakdown of where the maps are. you can get that on bbc.com. you are watching "bbc world news."

still to come -- the price of green shoots up. -- grain shoots up. the european condemnation of france has created a fierce exchanges. they are not all being deported. and in fact, local authorities -- our reporter has been to see them. >> living on the long side of the tracks -- wrong side of the tracks. but they are on the right side of the law. these houses are being built by the local union. it is not too bad or steal, but to work. they have sent their children to school.

the house is basic, but they are far from the squalor. this woman says that everyone thinks that roma people are thieves, but everyone that lives here works. her son is a student, but even he works part time. even the most ardent defenders of the roma people admit there is an element of truth that wherever the rome ago, crime follows. the purpose of this social experiment is to give them a chance to prove they can do better. the idea is that people stay here for awhile, get jobs, including anne of money to move out and rent their own homes. -- including an enough money to move out and rent their own homes. no one knows whether this can be more than a small scale

solution, but it is an opportunity to get it right in the future. bbc news, paris. >> the latest headlines. hello. in an exclusive interview with the bbc, barack obama contends comments by the iranian president as "hateful." japan releases of fishing boat captain. his arrest led to a major route with china. there are signs the crisis surrounding the commonwealth games in delhi could be starting to ease. for starters, the athletes have started to show up. some, including new zealand, have delayed their flights. if you recall, there were concerns about conditions in the athletes' village.

conditions have improved, but some teams are choosing to stay elsewhere. at least for now. chris morris is in delhi. >> english at least arrived at the delhi airport. -- english athletes arrived at the delhi airport. everyone is relieved. >> everybody wants to get there, get in with the action and giggling really. >> these photos were given to the bbc yesterday all parts of the athletes' village, filthy and leaking, prompting a huge cleanup. but what a difference a day makes. the village is beginning to come to light. the buildings are being customize. team officials say away from the cameras, there is still work to be done. the mood has certainly changed. >> we are very pleased with the accommodation. we have been working very hard.

we are at a stage now where we are satisfied with what is being provided. >> there is still skepticism about delhi. >> i think the problem in his -- is coming it is under-resources. it does not have the ability to deal with the facilities the way the committee does. >> they are still working on the final touches. the authorities are working against time. >> this event is supposed to showcase it from the rising economic and diplomatic power. instead, it has exposed weaknesses within the state system. it has proved to be rather interesting. chris morris, bbc news, delhi. >> the united nations food agency has convened a meeting on the unusually high price of food.

an export ban on wheat in russia has led to a shortage of food for some of the world's poorest people. it is unclear of how much of this is due to short supply and how much is due to speculation on prices. we have this report. >> climate-related emergencies pushed up prices. hedge funds were attracted into food commodities by seemingly rich rewards. crop specialists tell us that the yield swings are here to stay. the good news is the global harvest has been pretty good this year, despite the shortfall in russian wheat. in fact, it is about the third best year on record. united nations food organization

does not see a crisis like it sought three years ago. but it does once you reduce turbulence in the global food commodity market. this man told me why the russian problem cast a low shot up. >> they have planted a lot less than they should have done. these are short-term factors, which will cause a spike in prices for 12 months or maybe longer. but we can confidently expect, i would say, prices will come down again when we get a pattern of high yield and less climate shocks in the future. >> so, the intergovernmental committee in rome may call for greater transparency in serial transactions.

-- cereal transactions. others feel such moves are misguided. >> we saw the same thing happening in oil not long ago. it was the same exact thing. and union, speculators got burned. you can speculate, but you are playing a risky game. i do not think they will end up, eventually that cycle will end. >> today, food demand rises relentlessly. policymakers are trying to curb speculation and may end up reintroducing market controls. nigel cassidy, bbc news. >> three months ago, three injured people died during ethnic clashes between the kygyz -- kyrgyz and uzbeks.

an international inquiry into june's advance has been delayed. the ones infected last summer are still raw, as our correspondent reports. >> this is an uzbek neighborhood in osh, one of many that was completely destroyed during fighting between kyrgyz and uzbeks last june. a homemade bell signals the start of a less and. the tents are set up by the u.n.'s children's fund. this at 12-year-old lost his father. his house was burned down. every child in this neighborhood has the story to tell. he recalls with his house used to look like.

>> we had blankets piled up over there, and it has all been burned down. there have been losses on both sides of the conflict. these kyrgyz mothers want justice for their sons who went missing. all she has is a photo of her sun's decapitated body. >> the remnants of the gene violence can be seen everywhere in osh. people want justice. but there are questions being asked about the government's will. the lawyers say most of her clients accused of being involved in any violence have been beaten up. their claims are rejected by the authorities. lawyers alike tatiana are

concerned that the overwhelming majority of those arrested are uzbeks. >> among those who have been detained, the uzbeks and the kyrgyz, and others. i have not noticed an ethnic in balance. >> there are signs of normality, but suspicion between the communities remain. the residents of osh want peace and justice. without that, the prospect of moving on islam. bbc news, osh, southern kurdistan. >> from there to america. at a multimillion-dollar art collection from the walls of the collapsed investment bank lehman brothers is up for auction.

we have this. >> tonight at 10:00 -- and day of turmoil from the world's financial markets. >> quint lehman brothers went under, it shook the world. -- when at lehman brothers went under, it shook the world. might this go some way to pay off the creditors? >> there are 2 lucien frueds. how many are these going to make? >> 2 million pounds. it is but a drop on any ocean. >> to understand better, take this. the most of the valuable artwork, worth around 150,000 pounds. you need to million of them to pay off the debt.

-- you would need 2 million of them to pay off the debt. you realize what they are apart out. you see, they are symbolic. very 2008. and how about this commemoratives plaque? 1500? do you think it will go for that? >> we have had a lot of interest in that. it could go into the trip the cabinet of some other bankers. >> in the coming is mementos of the clash that have drawn the most attention -- indeed, it is mementos of the clash that have drawn the most attention. bbc news. >> very curious to know who will be bidding for those. now, an exclusive interview with bbc person television --

president obama described comments made by the iranian president about the 9/11 acts as "offensive, and the full an inexcusable." earlier, speaking at the united nations, iranian leaders speculated the american government at the time may have been involved in the attacks on september 11. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from

small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for years? >> i'm julia stiles. >> i'm kevin bacon. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates, jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> a commitment to journalism. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> i'm kerry washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. presented by kcet, los angeles.